A Tournament Like No Other
by TheRedInkPen
Summary: Life is normal at the Smash Mansion until Lucas' twin brother suddenly shows up. He fears he will be taken back home, so he will do whatever it takes to stay with everyone else. (small amount of yaoi action)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It's quiet at the mansion as everyone sleeps under the full moon. Ness has been asleep for a few hours now, but Lucas is finding it hard to keep his eyes shut. He had been having the same dream for the last four days, and he doesn't know why. It involves his older twin brother, Claus, coming to the mansion and taking him back to Tazmily Village. He sits up and looks to Ness, who is sound asleep and snoring softly.

(I just don't get it. Why do I keep having this dream? Maybe it's warning me about something, but Claus doesn't even know where the Smash Mansion is. I hope he doesn't take me away from Ness, his soft raven-colored hair, his amazing personality; everything about him is perfect.) Lucas lays his head down on his pillow and closes his eyes. (Let's just hope that everything will be fine...)

* * *

The night passed slowly for the blonde-haired boy. He woke up partially dazed and extremely fatigued. Ness, on the other hand, was ready to go. He ran over to Lucas' bedside and started shaking him.

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

Lucas groaned the longer Ness shook him. "Ness, I'm already awake. Leave me alone..."

The raven-haired boy laughed to himself then stopped shaking Lucas. He went to his dresser and got his clothes on. Lucas finally got out of bed and sluggishly made his way to the kitchen. He poured himself a bowl of cereal, then made his way back to his and Ness' room.

Ness grabbed Lucas' shoulders and started shaking him, making milk splash all over the both of them. "Have you heard, Lucas?"

"No, but can you please stop shaking me; I'm soaked because of you, dude..."

Ness let go of his friend's shoulders and apologized. "I'm sorry, but I just got word that someone is joining us for a while. He won't be able to fight like you and I, but he gets to hang out."

Lucas smiles and walks into the room and sits on his bed. "Sounds cool, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this..."

"Oh come on..." Ness runs over to his bed and grabs his backpack. He reaches inside of it and pulls out his yo-yo and starts swinging it around. "You know, we should show him how we do things around here."

Lucas starts to feel a little nauseated, so he puts his bowl down. "Sure, just let me freshen up first."

Ness smiles and runs out the door. He runs out onto the grass and looks up into the sky.

"Hey guys, another game is starting! The first characters are... Pikachu and Fox."

Lucas sighs as he brushes his teeth. Someone is coming to the mansion, just like in his dream. He begs for it not to be his brother. Claus is very protective of his younger twin, so if he were to be the one coming over and saw what the Super Smash Brothers people go through all the time, Claus would probably drag Lucas back home with him.

* * *

He finishes up, then hears Ness come back into their room. Lucas comes back out and sees Ness a little saddened, but also happy.

"Did you not get picked again?"

"Yeah, but I'm glad this time. It was JKidd and Tim again, and those two are really great players. If I were in there, I wouldn't stand a chance."

Lucas looks down to the floor and sighs again. "I wish people would use me sometimes..."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up, Luke. When people first saw me, I barely got any attention. You've made it here, so be happy."

"You've been here since day one."

"Lucas, Mother 3 didn't come out until 2006, and Brawl came out in America over a year later. I'm just happy that I have someone here with me." Ness wraps his arms around Lucas, and hugs him. "I love you just the way you are..."

Lucas turns red in the face. "Alright, stop it; you're embarrassing me..."

Ness and Lucas were about to share a tender kiss when they heard knocking at the front doors. Then they heard Pit's voice.

"Ness, Lucas, it's for you two."

* * *

They turned to each other then ran out of their room and to the front doors. When they got there, Ness grabbed the door handle and opened the door. Lucas' heart dropped in his stomach when he saw that it was his brother.

"Hey there, bro. How ya been?"

Lucas was frozen in place, unable to get a word out. His brother started to worry, but Ness jumped in between the two and grabbed Claus' wrist.

"How 'bout I show you around?"

Ness pulls Claus past Lucas and into the mansion. He shows him all the different people and all the food they eat.

Once Lucas came back to reality, he turned around and was mortified.

(No... **I won't let him take me away.** )


	2. Learning The Ropes

**Learning The Ropes**

Claus was excited to see the place in its entirety, but he was worried about Lucas freezing up earlier. He wanted to go back to him, but Ness dragged him outside.

"You're gonna love this, buddy."

Ness stopped when they got around 100 yards away from the mansion. He pointed into the sky and Claus saw the selection screen. He saw all the characters on the roster, from Mario, all the way to Isabelle.

"That's crazy. How many characters are there?!"

Ness had to think about it for a moment. He remembers the first game; it only had twelve. Many more were added each time.

"There are over 70 characters in total. It was lonely after a while, but Brawl changed everything. Lucas came in and I was overjoyed to have another person from our series to enter."

Claus became a little perturbed. "I bet he was scared to death once he saw what everyone goes through."

"He made it through just fine, actually. We don't get picked as often as we'd like to, but the breaks are well enjoyed. Some of the people here, like Link and Samus, will get used around four or five times in succession. We have parties all the time, and we eat like kings!"

Claus snickers. "Well, I can tell why _**you**_ joined."

"Are you making fun of me again?! Well, I can laugh at the fact that you aren't in the game."

"I'm a color palette for my brother, so _**technically**_ I am."

* * *

Ness rolls his eyes and sees Kirby running towards them with a letter. He skids to a stop and hands it to Ness. He runs back to the mansion and Ness opens the letter.

Claus wants to look at it, but Ness is still reading it. "Come on, I wanna see it!"

"Hold on; I'm not done yet!"

Ness finishes reading it, then hands it to Claus.

"An invitation... to what?"

"Well, only a select few characters are invited to a special banquet. At that banquet, the sixteen characters fight to see who is the winner for the month. It's just a fun tradition we started recently."

"Sounds fun. I hope my brother made it."

"Trust me; I think he'd rather _**not**_ be invited. It can get brutal at times. Last time, Pikachu and Villager fought each other the entire time, and made a huge mess."

* * *

He gives the paper back to Ness, and they head back to the mansion. Several Mii fighters are walking around, getting everything set up. Claus sees Princess Peach talking with his brother, so he goes over and joins in on their conversation.

"Hey, what's going on over here?"

Peach is a bit surprised when Claus joined in, but she smiled upon his arrival. "Oh, you must be the older brother Lucas was talking about. I'm honored to finally meet you. I only got to see what you looked like through the color palette, but seeing you in person is more enjoyable."

He turns red at her comment. "Aw, thanks. So Lucas, why'd you freeze up like that earlier?"

"Huh?"

"You know, when you saw me in the door, you just stopped. I was worried that you didn't want me here; is that why?"

"Well... um..."

Claus punches Lucas in the arm, playfully, and gives a soft chuckle. "There's nothing you have to be worried about, bro. Seeing everything that goes on here has been great. I'm honestly jealous of what you get to do every day. Ness got an invite to a banquet; did either of you get in?"

Lucas lowered his head. "No, and I was really looking forward to it this time."

Peach brought out a piece of paper. "I was accepted. I wish the best of luck to everyone else, though, as I rarely make it past the first round."

"Are they tough on you?"

"Everyone fights for first place, and it's a free for all."

Hearing about this event that takes place is making him excited. "Oh, I really want to be a part of this thing..."

Lucas sighs. "It's best that you just watch from behind the screen."

Claus grabs Lucas' wrist and drags him away from Peach. He takes his brother over to Ness, who was playing with his yo-yo.

"Ness, where would you find the bathrooms?"

"Oh, they're on the next floor. The signs will tell you which is which."

"Thanks."

* * *

Claus takes his brother into the bathroom on the second floor. He takes them into a stall, and closes it behind them.

"Claus, what are you doing?!"

Claus, all of a sudden, is furious. "I don't get what your deal is here, Lucas. This place is great, but you don't seem to care."

"Is this why you're so mad, because I'm not enjoying myself?"

"Lucas, I want you to be happy. I know it was hard getting mom's death off your mind, but ever since then, you've been treating everything like one big joke."

"No I haven't. Now let me out of here!"

Lucas pushes his brother back and he hits the stall door. Claus pushes his brother in retaliation, and Lucas falls onto the toilet lid.

"Lucas... I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I want to make sure you're doing OK. I'm really predictable at times, but I'm being honest. Dad wouldn't want you sulking around any longer; he'd want you to make a difference."

"But Claus, I can't-"

"That's what you're telling yourself. You think that you're not good enough, but you are. Overcome your fears, and make me proud."

"I can't overcome my fears if I'm stuck in a bathroom."

"Oh, hehe, sorry about that."

Claus unlocks the stall door and lets himself and Lucas out. They exit the bathroom and Ness is waving at them. They wave back and he runs off into the dining hall.

Lucas smiles. "I guess it's about to start."

"Yeah, let's go after him."

* * *

The twins run down the stairs and stare into the dining hall and see all sixteen people ready. There are plates stacked with food on every inch of the table. The aroma makes Claus hungry, but he knows he can't enter. He sees Ness on the far end of the room, with Peach right across from him. Pikachu is there, but Villager isn't this time, making Lucas relieved. The other thirteen eye each other as one of the Mii fighters puts the whistle to his mouth. He blows the whistle and the banquet brawl gets underway.


	3. The Unexpected

**The Unexpected**

The brawling went on for around two hours, and in the end, Link won. Ness was exhausted, as were the others, but it struck him the hardest. Ness made it to the last round, but lost due to a small slip up he made. He came out of the dining hall covered in food, and with his clothes torn all over. Lucas helped Ness to their room, with Claus following close behind, and sat him down on his bed.

"God, it was _**much**_ tougher than I thought it would be. I can't believe I even made it that far. Link congratulated me, and even gave me a high five. He's so quiet all the time, mainly because that's how he is, but he's really friendly."

Dr. Mario knocked on the door, and let himself in after Lucas answered the door. "Um, may I have a minute with you, Ness?"

Ness was a bit confused, but stood up and walked over to him. Ness noticed that he seemed to be limping a small bit as he walked, and it got worse the longer he was on his feet.

"What's up, doc?"

"Well, I noticed that you landed at a strange angle during the banquet, and you were affected by it pretty badly. It may have cost you the win, but I'm just making sure that you're health is in tip-top shape. We need you ready at all times, because none of us know when we're being selected next."

"So, do you want to check on my ankle?"

Dr. Mario brings his clipboard closer to his chest, and starts walking back to the health center. "Yes. It will only be a few minutes."

* * *

Ness looks back to the door, then makes his way down to the health center. It was installed over a year ago for Dr. Mario, so he could help the characters out if they had any health issues. They make their way into one of the rooms, and Ness sits on the bed.

Dr. Mario brings out a pen, and then starts the routine. He puts Ness through a series of tests, then leaves the room. He comes back with a cast and crutches.

"So I really did sprain my ankle? Damn... Well, Lucas isn't gonna like seeing me like this..."

"I'd want you walking around normally as well, but that injury won't heal any faster with you putting pressure on it."

(I wish I had Lifeup and Healing again...)

Ness exited the health center and made his way to the stairs. It was nearly impossible for him to make his way up, so when Zelda made her way by and saw him struggling, she helped him up. He thanked her as she walked away, and opened the door to his room.

Lucas saw Ness in crutches and nearly broke down in tears. "Ness, y-you're hurt?!"

Ness shrugs Lucas' comment off. "Yeah, but I didn't notice it until I was walking to the health center. I'll be like this for a while, but I should be just fine..."

"But... How are you going to fight when you're injured?"

"Hmm... Never thought of that yet..." Ness gets an idea. "Hey, Claus can fight in my place!"

Claus starts sweating, and Lucas moves in front of his brother. "He would have a different move set than you. Plus, it was stated that he was not supposed to fight, only be an acquaintance."

"Well, how would _**you**_ fix the problem?"

"Um..."

* * *

Someone starts knocking on the door, so Ness answers it, having been by it the entire time. He opens the door and Pit is there. He seems to be the messenger of the place.

"Lucas, you're up."

Both Claus and Lucas are surprised. "R-Really?"

"Come on, I'm in there too. Hurry, the round is starting in 30 seconds!"

Lucas runs out the door and onto the field. He's warped onto the stage, Battlefield, and prepares to start. The other characters, Pit, Olimar, and Greninja, took their places as well. Claus was watching from a screen that was provided. Ness came by as fast as he could and stood behind Claus.

"He's really gonna go through with this?!"

"Lucas is a lot tougher than you think, Claus. I know he can do it..."

"Well, if he loses, tell him 'I told you so'."

* * *

Ness rolls his eyes at the orange haired boy as the round started. Claus expected Lucas to get pummeled, but he moved as if he were walking on air. Lucas was proving to his brother that he can do what everyone else here can do. He turned to Olimar and struck him with his side smash. The round lasted for ten and a half minutes, with it being a five stock match, and the winner in the end was Lucas, with three stock remaining.

Lucas warped back down to the ground and Claus wrapped his arms around his younger twin. "Lucas, you did it!"

"You... doubted me?"

Claus took two steps back, and twiddled his fingers together. "Well, it's not that I 'doubted' you, it's just that I never knew you were so good at fighting."

Lucas gave a warm smile. "Aw, thanks. The only reason I did so good was that TRIP was using me. I didn't realize how good a player she was until I was put into her hands."

Claus put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I think you did amazing out there today. You should teach me some of those things."

"Maybe some other time..." Lucas notices Kirby running to them. "Kirby has something to tell us, apparently."

Kirby skids to a stop, then frantically points to the mansion. Lucas takes action by scooping Ness up into his arms and running back. Claus follows after Kirby and the two, but sees Ness and Lucas smiling at each other.

Ness' face turns bright red. "Lucas, you didn't have to do this."

"I didn't want you lagging behind. It's probably really hard getting around in those."

"Yeah..."

* * *

Lucas gets to the front of the mansion and puts Ness down before opening up the doors. He sees Dark Pit looking at them with a bit of scorn, but he laughs it off. Dark Pit has a fake hate for them, and always likes the way Lucas reacts towards it.

Lucas walks in, with his brother, Ness, and Kirby behind him. "So, what's up?"

Mario holds up a paper with the Nintendo logo on it. "There's gonna be a tournament here soon. It's being held next week, and everyone's invited."

Claus' attention raises upon hearing 'everyone'. "A-Are you serious?! Does that mean _**I**_ get to be in it?"

"Why not; the more the merrier!"

Claus jumps for joy and shakes his brother.

"What is with everyone and shaking me today?!"

"Come on, I get to be in this Smash Bros. tournament, and there's no stopping me!" Claus' smile turns devious. "I have a bet for the both of us..."

"Yeah?"

"If I win, I'm taking you back to Tazmily for a week."

"And if I win...?"

"Well, you can do whatever you want to me, as long as it isn't inappropriate."

Lucas grabs his brother's hand, and they share a firm handshake. "Deal."

"Good luck, bro."

(I'm gonna need more than luck to get through this... I'm gonna need a miracle at this rate...)

The twins release themselves from the handshake and part ways for the day. Ness lowers his head and sighs.

" **What have you done...?** "


	4. Preparation

**Preparation**

Lucas couldn't believe what he just did. He's agreed to a bet he knows he's going to lose. He runs back to his and Ness' room and starts grabbing his weapons. He grabs his stick, and Rope Snake and heads out to the training room. Ness catches him on his way out and stops him.

"Hey, what's the rush?"

"I..."

Ness sighs. "No need to tell me; I saw everything. You got yourself in a tight spot and you need help out of it. Well, I'm gonna have to enter the tournament with a sprained ankle... I think I'm in a worse place than you right now."

"But if I lose the bet, he's taking me back home."

"It's only for a week, Lucas. Why are you stressing out so much about this?"

Lucas lowers his head and a single tear slides down his face. He walked into Ness' arms and started talking. "Him and I have been competitive ever since we were babies. He'd always win, and I'd cry about it for a while. The one time I had finally won against him, he just said that he was going easy on me. I want to prove that I can do things like him, and be like everyone else here. I want to be strong like Bowser, brave like Link, and smart like Robin. What do I have that they don't... timidity."

"Luigi struggled his first year here. He's still kind of scared of everything, but he's a great fighter," Ness kisses Lucas' forehead. "just like you are."

Lucas blushes in response to Ness' action. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I really need to get going."

Ness releases Lucas from his arms. "Take me with you. I can coach you over some things, and get you ready for next week."

"But what about you?"

"I can take care of myself. I know my away around stuff. Come on!"

* * *

Ness and Lucas make their way to the training room and see that there's no one else in line to use it. They happily enter it and Lucas gets started.

The sandbag comes down and Lucas tries to attack it before it hit the ground. He swung a second too soon and tripped over his own feet and landed on his face.

Lucas gets on his knees and rubs his face with his hand. "Ugh, how am I gonna get this timing thing down? It's impossible!"

"No it's not; you're just anticipating it. Relax your muscles, and watch me do it."

Ness throws down his crutches and limps forward. He hits a big button on the wall, which got rid of the initial sandbag and made another one drop from the ceiling. Ness closed his eyes, and took out his bat and held it firm in his hands. When the sandbag was about to hit the floor, he swung at full power, making it fly across the room. Ness lost his footing and fell over; he laughed at himself.

"See Lucas, if you anticipate it, you'll make yourself vulnerable. Different characters fall at various speeds, so watch who you're fighting. Pikachu won't fall as fast as Mario, so keep track of that, OK?"

"I know what you're saying, but I don't know how to put that in play..."

Ness gets to his feet and limps back to his crutches. He props himself up, and starts going to the door. "Hold on, bud."

Ness exits the training room and comes back with Pit. Lucas starts shaking in place.

"I want you to practice on Pit. I'll set the damage meter so that it resets once it hits 200%."

Once the buttons were pressed, a chime echoed throughout the room. Then, an automated voice rung in their ears.

"Damage meter set."

Lucas turned back to Pit, who waved at him. "You want me to fight him?!"

"Eh... more like 'sparring'. He needs the practice too, so it'll work out great for the both of you."

Pit raises his Palutena bow, and splits it in two. "Come on Lucas, stop wasting time and let's get going already!"

* * *

Lucas looks back to the sandbag on the other end of the room behind him. It had disappeared when he turned around, so he was going to turn back to face Pit, but Pit already lunged forward and landed the first attack.

"Get up! There's only a week, and I ain't wasting any of it!"

(I could use a break right about now...)

The two kept sparring with each other for a while. Lucas was slowly getting used to the timing and how his attacks launched Pit across the room. He was ready to cast PK Fire when Ness called their fighting to a halt.

"Alright, that's enough. You've both done very well, so I think you deserve a rest..." Ness closes his eyes and smiles. "and some ice cream."

Lucas' eyes light up and Pit almost squeals. Both of them run out of the room and into the dining hall. Ness goes after them, and laughs when he sees them disappointed.

Pit gets up off the ground. "Where's the ice cream?!"

"If you waited for me, I would've shown you. Now, you have to wait..."

* * *

Lucas and Pit go to the table and sit. Lucas kicks his feet against his chair while Pit is scratching his name into the wood. Ness comes back six minutes later with three different popsicles. He got a red one for Lucas, a blue one for Pit, and another blue one for himself. Ness unwrapped his popsicle and put the wrapper on the table. Pit got up and took it off the table and put it in the trash can.

"Ness, why do you get one?"

"Because I'm the one who got them." Ness smiled as he licked the tip of his blue popsicle.

They finished up quickly, since Mario had come in to check on them. Lucas' lips were red, and his face turned the same color when he saw Mario. Ness' lips were blue, along with his tongue, and he waved at the red-clad plumber.

"Hi Mario; we just finished up using the training room, so I got us some treats. I'm assuming lots of people are gonna be using it for a while until it's game day."

Mario looked around the room, then gave a thumbs-up. "OK. You're fine, I'm just making sure no one's cheating."

He leaves, but Lucas turns to Ness with a confused look on his face. "Cheating? People have done that here?"

Pit dropped his popsicle stick on the table. "Only a few have tried, but none of them ended up getting far. They were caught eventually, and they were scolded for it as well. The only ones who have attempted cheating were Dark Pit, the Koopa Kids, Wolf, Wario, and surprisingly... Toon Link."

"How were they punished?"

"I don't remember... Let's not get too into this, OK?"

Ness smiles and heads to the stairs. "Let's focus on training for now, Lucas. Your brother is probably getting ready as well, so I want to make sure you're ready for anything."

* * *

Lucas gets up from his chair and hugs Ness. Pit walks back to his room, which left the two boys alone. They stared into each other's eyes, then kissed. They only stayed together for a few seconds, to make sure others didn't see them, then Lucas' cheeks turned red.

"Let's not tell anyone else about this, OK?"

Ness lets out a small laugh. "That was the plan."

Ness took Lucas' hand in his, then they walked back to their room. They decided it was best to relax for the rest of the day, so that's what they did. The silence was much enjoyed.


	5. Twin Fighters

**Twin Fighters**

Ness and Lucas were sitting on the couch together when Claus suddenly burst into the room. He slid across the carpet and sounded like he was in pain. Lucas jumped over the back of the couch and ran to his brother's side. Both of them looked up and saw Dark Link standing in the door way.

"Hey, what was that for?!"

Dark Link scoffed at him, then walked away. Claus got to his feet, but his knees were scraped. Lucas helped him to his bed, and sat him down.

"I don't get it... They said they would train with me, but after a few minutes, they just threw me away..."

"You're trying to train to get stronger in time for the tournament, right?"

"That's what everyone else is doing. I didn't want to train alone, since it's virtually impossible, so I found Dark Link and thought he would help. It turns out I can't really trust anybody here..."

* * *

Lucas was the same way when he started out in Smash Bros. No one was willing to take him under their wing and help him train... No one, except Ness. They both shared many interests, and much of the same abilities. They grew to like each other over the years, and even became more than friends at one point. No one knows about their secret relationship and they're hoping to keep it that way forever, or at least, until someone finds out.

"Claus, you can trust us. In fact, if you want, we're gonna train again tomorrow. You can join us if you want; there's always room for one more in our group."

The orange haired boy turns his head to his younger brother. He's holding back his tears. "Y-You'd be willing to help me train after all that I've put you through over the years...?"

"We're brothers; we stand up for each other. Sure, we may have a long history of sibling rivalry, but that's what pushes us to keep trying to be the best. It was tough transitioning to a new life here at the Smash Mansion, but Ness pulled me through. He showed me what to do, and I eventually overcame my fears of not fitting in. You're not gonna be here forever, but I want you to enjoy every second that you have left here." Lucas puts his arms around his brother. "I want you to know that you've been a big inspiration to me. You've helped me to be strong, defiant, and not back down in the face of fear. I just want you to know that I love you, Claus."

Claus couldn't hold back his tears any longer and they began falling like rain drops down his soft skin. He planted his face in his brother's chest and let all his emotions out. Lucas comforted him until he stopped a few minutes later.

"S-Sorry about that. It's been rough for me, and that's been stuck inside me for a long time. I-I'd love to train with you tomorrow, but I won't go easy on you."

Lucas rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I was expecting you to say that."

Ness smiled, then made his way over to the twins. Just then, Pit appeared in the doorway.

"Guys, Mario wants to see you."

"All of us?"

"Lucas, I'd specify if he didn't want all of you. Come on; don't make him wait!"

* * *

They all hurried out of the room and to Mario's room. Mario acts as the leader in the Mansion, and keeps tabs on everyone. He's laidback most of the time, but is very strict when it comes to the rules, _**especially**_ cheating. Claus opened the door to let his brother and Ness inside, then closed it behind him when they were all in.

"So," Ness took a few paces forward. "what is it, sir?"

Mario places his hands on the desk. He slides a piece of paper to him, so Ness picks it up and begins reading it to himself.

 _Ness, it seems your injury will get in the way of the tournament. I've already arranged a replacement for you. Claus will fight in your place. Since he will be fighting in your place, he will have your move set for the duration of the tournament. If you wish to have him train with the move set, we will allow it. I'm sorry that you will not be able to participate this year, but we want the best for you and your friends. If Claus wins the tournament, both you and him will be awarded. We're all ready for you when you're done healing, us and the players. Get well soon._

 _Signed,_

 _Mario_

Ness hands the paper back to Mario and sighs. "Yeah, I saw that coming. I really didn't want this inconvenience, and I know you didn't either, but I'll make sure Claus is ready by next Tuesday."

Mario nods his head. "Good. Start as soon as possible, since adapting to new moves is a lengthy process."

"Can do." Ness turns around to the twins. "Let's go guys; we have a lot of work ahead of us."

All three boys walk out of the room, but Claus is confused about the situation. "What was the paper all about?"

Ness lowers his head, and takes his hat off. He puts it on Claus' head and gives a soft smile. "You're fighting in my place. I can't do anything because of my injury, but I'll be rooting for both of you from the sidelines."

"I-I have to fight for you?! Mario also talked about a new move set... D-Does that mean I have to learn all your moves?!"

"Yep. You'll be fine, Claus, just follow my lead and do as I do."

Claus shook off his anxiety and ran to the training room. He was ready to get started but Lucas, not having Ness fighting against him, feels extremely relieved. He grabs Ness' hand, then they walk to the training room together. There's a long week ahead of them.


	6. A Long Way To Go

**A Long Way To Go**

The doors to the training room slide shut as the sandbag falls from the ceiling. Claus goes to attack it, but Lucas runs after him and tackles him to the ground.

Ness steps forward and shakes his head. "Claus, come on. You can't attack it yet. You have to learn to use my moves first, then you can have your fun."

"But it's right there!"

(Impatient much...) "Just follow my lead, as I've said before."

Ness drops his crutches and takes out his bat. Claus takes a few steps back, but then takes out his stick in response.

"First, I'm gonna have to teach you to swing like me."

"Doesn't Lucas swing practically the same way?"

"Well, sort of... I guess you don't have to do much about the swinging, but it's the damage that you have to adapt to. I'm the slower of the two of us, but I'm the bruiser; I deal more damage than he does. Not to say that he's a bad character, but if he dealt more damage, he'd probably do better."

Lucas doesn't take the insult lightly. "Lots of people like the way I play, Ness. God, after all these years, you still don't accept me for who I am..."

"I do, it's just that I wish I was faster as well. I tend to lag behind the rest of you, and my injury just makes things worse for me."

Claus butts into their conversation. "OK, we need to focus on training. I wanna be ready in time. If I don't know everything, I'm just gonna screw it all up."

"Yeah, sorry about that Claus." Ness brings up a keyboard and presses a few buttons on it. The sandbag teleports in front of him, and Ness prepares to swing.

"Watch the damage meter."

Claus shifts his eyes to the damage meter. Ness swings at full force, and the sandbag goes flying. The damage racks up to 15%.

"Well, I think I did OK..."

"That was impressive, dude, but I can do better!"

* * *

Ness laughs it off, then brings the sandbag back over. Claus prepares to swing, but loses his focus when Lucas sneezes. He spun around a few times, then fell to the floor, missing the sandbag. The sandbag fell over anyways.

"Damnit Lucas, you made me mess up my shot!"

"I didn't mean to, Claus."

"Alright you two, break it up. Claus, you can still swing; everyone messes up from time to time. It happens a lot during the tournament. The less experienced players make lots of mistakes, and that's why you learn from them. You take your misfortunes and turn them into something better. Go again."

Claus plants his feet firm, and swings again. The damage didn't go as high as Ness', but it was good enough to pass.

"Good job, bud. Once you learn all my smash attacks, the fun part kicks in; learning everything else."

"I have to learn _**everything?!**_ "

"Mario did say that learning a new move set takes a long time. Lucas' first appearance was tough on him, since he had never done anything more than follow what the player made him do. There was no animation for him attacking, so doing something new was a bit startling. Once he got the hang of it, he was excited to play again."

Claus rolls his eyes. "Can we keep going?!"

"Calm down, dude. Why are you so impatient, besides the fact that you want to learn the moves..."

"I'm hungry; I haven't eaten since this morning."

"It's only, like, 12:30. We can get stuff."

Lucas leaves to get some food. He comes back with pizza rolls, but they're frozen. Kirby comes in after Lucas and sits down next to Claus.

"Lucas, these aren't cooked."

"Hold on, I'm getting to it."

* * *

He brings out paper plates, and gives one to everyone except Kirby. Lucas knows Kirby will just eat the rest of them, so he tells Kirby where there's more food. He leaves, and Lucas takes several out of the bag and places them on everyone's plates. He uses PK Fire, but the plates burn up. The pizza rolls are burnt, and some are on fire.

"Nice going, Lucas, now we have nothing to eat."

"Claus, stop being such a baby. We live in a mansion, of course we have more food to eat... as long as Kirby hasn't eaten it yet..."

Ness takes off his backpack and starts searching through it.

"Ness, what're you doing?"

"I may have some food leftover from my time in Earthbound." He digs his hand deeper into it. "Come on, where is it?"

"How big is your backpack?!"

"I dunno, but it can hold a lot of things. It holds my bat, my yo-yo, and it held a lot of things back then."

Ness smiles once he found the thing he was looking for. He pulled his hand out of his backpack and brought out a pizza. It was missing a few slices, but is otherwise in good shape.

"How the hell did you have a pizza in there?!"

"I needed it at one point, but we only used it once. We can eat it now; it's still warm."

"I've suddenly lost my appetite."

Ness grabs Claus' collar and yanks him close to his face. "Just because it was in my backpack doesn't mean it's dirty. I tend to keep things tidy, and I'm very organized. Either you eat it, or starve."

Ness releases Claus, and the orange-haired boy is deeply disturbed. "I didn't know you were insane... OK, I'll eat the pizza, I just wanted to get a reaction out of you. You didn't have to do that, you know..."

Lucas smiles and grabs the first slice. He is about to take a bite out of it, when he decides to give it to Claus.

"What, you're giving it to me?"

"You said you were hungry, and this is a pretty big slice. I'm letting you have it, since I know how much you love pizza."

* * *

Lucas gives a beaming smile to his brother while Claus looks back at the slice, then takes a bite. It's very flavorful, and the mellow warmth makes him feel better. Lucas grabs a smaller slice and begins eating. Ness takes a larger one and wolfs it down.

"Ness, I think you've had enough."

"What?"

Ness has already finished his second slice and goes for a third, but there's only one slice left.

"Let Lucas have it. He's only had one, and he still looks hungry."

"Claus, I'm fine..."

"See, this is your problem! You're not assertive enough; stand up for yourself!"

"But I don't need anymore..."

Ness smiles. "Well, if he doesn't want it, then I'll take it."

He grabs it and it's gone in a flash.

Claus gets to his feet and looks to the sandbag. "I'm gonna get started again."

Lucas lays on the floor. "I'm just gonna lay here. I'm tired."

"You haven't even done anything today, bro."

"Neither have you."

"I've done more than you, though..."

Pit enters the room, and sits down next to Ness. "Tough day, right?"

"You could say that again..."

I barely got through my training with Lady Palutena when all of a sudden, the lights went out at the Battlefield."

"You were training up there?"

"Yeah, but who cut the lights?"

"Someone may be trying to sabotage us... They may be trying to make sure than others have as little time to train as possible."

"That sound rough. I really need time as well..."

"We all do, Pit, but I'm really worried about Claus... He's rushing things too much." Ness sees Lucas and Claus at the other end of the room. Lucas is behind the sandbag and Claus readies to punch. "and Lucas is too afraid to stand up for himself. I fear that both of them are gonna have a hard time in the tournament, but the big question is who is gonna stay in longer?"

Pit gets up and starts leaving. "Well, I just wanted to check on ya, bud. See ya."

"See ya later, Pit." Pit leaves and Ness turns back to them. He puts his hands on the sides of his head and stares at them as Claus punches the sandbag. "What am I gonna do with you guys?"


	7. A Turn Of Events

**A Turn Of Events**

Ness takes out his phone and dials up a friend of his: Toon Link. He gets him to come over and help with training. Toon Link bursts through the door and raises his sword high into the air. He runs to the twins and slides in between them, scaring Lucas half to death.

"Toon Link, where'd you come from?"

Toon Link, unable to talk, points to Ness and makes little hand gestures. Then, he runs over to Ness, grabs him and his crutches, and brings him back to them.

"Ness? Well, that would explain things. He _**is**_ the one helping after all."

"And Toon Link is gonna be aiding as well. I'll have him take over as coach for a while. He may not be able to talk, but I can read his hand motions pretty well... Actually, I have a better idea."

* * *

Ness reaches into his backpack and takes his phone out again. He gives it to Toon Link.

"Type something on it, buddy."

Toon Link starts typing, and immediately, it begins playing back audio.

"Is it working?"

Toon Link gets a big smile on his face and becomes ecstatic. He begins typing a lot of things on Ness' phone.

"Oh my God, I'm so happy that I have a voice, well not a real voice, but at least you can understand what I want to say. I never want to stop using this thing, even though this is Ness' phone, and I just-"

"Alright, that's enough. Only use it when you want to give a command, OK. Or, if it's absolutely necessary."

Toon Link nods, and turns back to the twins. "Get ready, because Ness told me all about Claus taking his place. Ness will have to show you how the move goes... Wait, why does Claus have to take your move set?"

"He's fighting in place of me. Mario is strict with the rules, and wants everyone there. I'm excused, but Claus is fighting for me."

Toon Link begins typing frantically. "I think he should fight the way _**he**_ wants to. If he wants to use his own moves, let him do that. I'm just a copy of Link, and I don't fight the same as him."

"That's because you're a smaller version of him. We'd have to reason with Mario if we want Claus to fight his own way..."

* * *

Toon Link takes Ness' phone with him and runs out of the training room. It's around five minutes, then he comes back.

"Mario says that it's fine if he fights his own way. It took a bit of reasoning with the man, but he completely understands that we'd probably not finish in time. Claus, do whatever you want; train your own way, and decide what moves you'll have. Have fun!"

Claus smiles and hugs his brother. He turns back to the sandbag and punches it as hard as he could. It didn't go very far, as it had 0% damage, but it felt good nonetheless.

"I'll get the hang of things soon, but the bet still stands, Lucas. You'd better start packing your bags, bro, because I've already won this thing."

"Anything can happen, so I wouldn't be cocky like you are right now. I'm gonna play the patience game. I'll wait for everyone else to get all bruised up, then I'll get in there and steal the kill."

"Thanks for telling me your plan."

"You'll have forgotten it by then..."

Claus growls at Lucas, and pummels him to the ground. "I'm still as qualified to win as you are. It just matters who stays in longer. The bet doesn't state about us getting each other out, it just states who outlasts the other. So, if I stay in longer than you, you're coming with me."

"Yeah, and if _**I**_ stay in longer than you, enjoy your punishment."

Claus gets off of his brother, and punches the sandbag again. "I'm never gonna stop training until it's game day, and next time you see me Lucas, you'll be on your stomach getting dragged back home."

"Game on, Claus!"

Ness sighs and shakes his head. "These two are _**way**_ too competitive. I'm gonna have to get in there sometime, but for now, I'll just stay back and see how things pan out."


	8. Time To Brawl-The Tournament Starts

**Time To Brawl**

 **I'm only skipping ahead because I didn't want this story taking too long. To fill you in on what would've happened, Claus kept training and finally found what moves he wanted to use. He did get in a few fights with the meaner characters, but Ness was there to bail him out. Ness and Lucas have been getting a bit closer, but still keep things hidden from Claus. Now, we get to see the first half of the tournament unfold.**

* * *

The horns sounded and everyone walked out onto the field. The sun was at its highest point, and there was a calm breeze in the air. Ness looked to the sky, and saw the small cottony clouds drifting by. He lowered his head as he was warped away with the rest of them. They all landed on an enlarged version of the Battlefield stage, but then it started changing. It turned into Final Destination.

Claus, upon seeing the stage change right before him, got a little scared. "Um, I-I didn't know we were fighting here..."

Ness goes up to his orange-haired friend. "I guess it's for a special occasion. They usually do the Battlefield stage, but apparently not this time..."

Lucas backs up until he hits Dark Pit. Dark Pit didn't like being bumped into, and isn't one to take things lightly. "What do you want?"

"I-I'm sorry, D-Dark Pit, but why'd the stage change so suddenly?"

Dark Pit looks around, noticing the other fighters panicking. "I dunno, but that ain't stopping me from getting my victory!"

Ness took a few steps back and was covered by shade; he wasn't part of the fight anymore. Lucas went to go talk to Ness, but Fox stopped him.

"Not now Lucas, the match is about to start."

Lucas waved to his raven-haired friend. "Wish me luck..."

"I'm rooting for you, Lucas..." Lucas disappeared with the others into the darkness. "I love you..."

* * *

The other Smash Bros. characters made their way back onto a big platform. It was one they haven't seen before, and appeared to be falling apart. A few of them made their way out onto the stage and started fighting. The rougher the action became, the more the place shook and crumbled. Eventually, all the wood and stone fell into the void underneath them and the person who fell in last was the winner of the round; it was Charizard.

Round after round, each set of four fighters made their way onto a crumbling platform. Lucas and Claus didn't fight each other at the same time, but it would happen later. Claus had won his round, and went on to watch his brother go up against Link, Isabelle, and Roy. Lucas had slid to an edge and held onto it for dear life. He didn't want to lose already, since his brother and Ness are watching, so he started pulling himself up. He heard his brother yelling at him to get up; even with fear of losing, Claus still wants the best of Lucas.

Link fell to the same edge Lucas was holding on to, and fell off the platform as well. Both of them were hanging on, when Roy came over and looked at the both of them with pity. He helped them up, promising a fair match for all of them, when stones started rolling all over the stage. It felt like they were in an earthquake as boards began falling from right underneath them. Lucas jumped up and landed on a higher ledge to get to safety.

(No, please... Don't let me get out yet! I want to impress my brother, and prove to him that I can do great things as well! Come on, Lucas, you can do it!)

* * *

Lucas jumped down from the ledge, with newfound bravery, and continued the fight. He went right for Isabelle, but she countered his attack. Link and Roy joined in on it, until the stage fell into the void, along with everyone on it. Claus looked down, and thought his brother didn't make it, then he looked up at the results screen. Lucas had fallen in last, so he won the round.

Lucas came back up, and Claus ran to his brother and hugged him. "Lucas, I thought you were out for good!"

"I thought I was too, but apparently, we were meant to fight each other in the last round, or whenever..."

Ness came by as fast as he could and patted both of them on their backs. "Nice job, you two, but don't give up just yet. There's still a few rounds left after this, so stay alert."

"Did you see me out there, though?!"

"You were great; I'd even say you were better than Claus..."

Claus slaps Ness on his cheek, which left a light red mark. "There's no way in hell that he did better than me. I gave it my all, and I won fair and square!"

Lucas laughed at his brother, then ruffled his hair. "You know, with you telling me to be all assertive and stuff, it really helped me out in that situation. I knew that if I stayed on that ledge and did nothing, I probably would've been out of the match. As soon as I leapt down, the stones were hitting the ledge. Plus," Lucas ruffled his brother's hair even more, making Claus even madder at him. "I find this rather satisfying..."

Claus swatted Lucas' arm away, then pinned him to the ground. "Like Ness said, keep your guard up. This thing ain't over yet, and when it is, expect to see me with that trophy."

"I'm pretty sure the award isn't a trophy, but keep dreaming pal..."

* * *

Ness smiled at the twins, then turned around to look at the screen. It displayed the next fighting times for the characters, and which ones are out. He sees himself at the bottom of the screen, with 'excused' written in red text over his icon, and turns red. He notices that the twins fight each other five rounds after Jigglypuff and Pikachu.

"Oh no... This isn't good..."


	9. Face Off

**Face Off**

The lights to the stage went dark, so the characters began pondering as to why they did so. Mario came up behind them and spoke suddenly, which spooked a few of them.

"It's fine, there's just a short intersession. We will start up again after we eat."

They all turned to the sun, then were warped back to the mansion. One by one, they entered the doors and made their way to the spacious dining hall. There was more than enough for everyone to eat, as it was pre-prepared, so plenty of people stuffed themselves until they felt like they were going to pop.

Ness, having finished his second sandwich, stepped back from the table and grabbed his crutches and began walking back outside. Claus followed him, noticing the sad look on his face. He continued to follow him, until Ness found his way to a place in the fields. Ness sat down, and laid back in the soft, green grass. Claus laid down next to him, and attempted to make some small talk.

"Hey... Why you down?"

Ness sighed, and continued looking up at the sky. It was nearing dusk, so the sky had the appearance of being painted a mellow orange color, with a mixture of pink in there as well. The clouds were shadowed by the setting sun.

"Claus, I don't know what to do... You both face each other five rounds after Jigglypuff and Pikachu, and I'm stuck on who to cheer for. I like both of you, but this is one of the times where I can't decide..."

"Do whatever makes you feel right, man. I honestly don't care anymore; after my first round, I was a little upset that I didn't get knocked out of the match... Don't tell Lucas I said that!"

Ness let out a soft chuckle. "I won't, but I would've loved to have fought against him, to see how much he's improved on his movement speed and skill. He's always so sweet and loving, but I don't want him worrying about me too much. I didn't want to tell you, and neither did he, but he and I are in a relationship; it's not a serious one, but it's to the point where we're hiding our actions from the others..."

Claus wants to lash out at Ness for what he said, but he can't even be mad. Claus remembers his first encounter with someone he liked. He was afraid to make the first move, and he kept everything hidden from the public, but eventually, word came out and he got laughed at.

"Ness, I get it. You're afraid of other people judging you for the way you are, and that's completely normal. I won't tell anyone about this, which will make Lucas happy; I won't even tell him that I know. Just a little secret between friends..."

* * *

Both boys smile, then hear people yelling for them. Ness gets to his feet, but falls over onto the grass again. Claus helps him up, and grabs his crutches. He walks himself and Ness out of the fields, and back to the mansion. Chrom and Roy were calling for them, then they saw the two coming their way.

"Where were you two; the next round is starting and Mario wants you up there."

"Sorry Chrom, we were just enjoying the sunset for a bit before we had to leave. Give us some time, and we'll get up there..."

Chrom rolls his eyes, and turns his back to them.

Claus looks at Ness. "Nice save, dude."

"Well, we were actually doing that. Now hurry up, Mario gets pissed after a while..."

Claus lowers his head, and they get warped to the new stage that has been prepared for Jigglypuff's and Pikachu's fight. Ness steps back into the shadows, and Claus watches from the sidelines, like all the others. It came down to the last few seconds, but Jigglypuff won in the end. Some were upset by the outcome, but it's mainly just a friendly competition between old pals. The next fight was Chrom and Young Link...

* * *

Lots of sweat and tears poured out from all the fighters during their matches, then it came down to the twins. Claus, fighting in Ness' place, and Lucas, the timid village boy. Lucas wasn't about to let himself be shown up by his brother, so he's not holding back. Claus never really holds back in any situation, so Lucas is going to have to fight hard to be on top.

"Are you ready to lose, bro?"

"I'm gonna make you eat those words, since there's no way you'll beat me. It's been eleven long and grueling years, but it's finally time. I'll show you what it's really like to be a Smash Brother!"

They looked into each other's eyes, with faces of steely determination. Fiery spirits stirred deep within them as they charged head on. They came into contact, by punching each other in the face, then proceeding to attack viciously.

Ness watched from behind the other characters, worrying for the safety of both of them. (This is what I worried about... I know that these two are really competitive about a lot of things, and a stupid little victory is one of them. If there was only one way I could stop this... If I interfere, though, I won't be able to participate in the next one. I just hope they don't get too physical...)

Punch after punch, kick after kick, the twins attacked each other, showing no mercy. Lucas hated every second he was fighting his brother, and Claus felt the same way. Lucas began crying the longer he pounded his fists onto his brother's bruised arms.

"Claus... I-I don't want to do this anymore..."

Claus could see the reluctance in Lucas' eyes, even though they were closed and filled with tears. "I don't want to fight either. Why... Why are we even doing this?"

Lucas got off of Claus and shoved his face into his brother's shirt. "Hey Lucas, it's OK. I just don't get how we got so full of ourselves so fast... We wanted to win, and make fun of the other, but I don't even care anymore... I just want to go home; Smash Bros. is way too much for me..."

Lucas looked back up at his brother, his face wet from the tears, and kept a firm hold on Claus' striped shirt. "I don't even care about the punishment; I just want this stupid tournament to end!"

* * *

Claus comforted his brother as the others watched from the side. They were very empathetic for them, yet Mario follows the rules very strictly. Mario didn't like seeing everyone struggle during their fights, and he didn't like seeing the emotional damage that was being caused. Then, the stage began collapsing, since the twins spent too long waiting. Piece by piece, they were slowly losing their footing, and Claus fell into the void. Lucas felt bad upon his brother's loss, and jumped in after him. They appeared on the sideline, and the results came onto the screen. Claus was eliminated, and Lucas moved onto the next round. He didn't even want to fight anymore, but Ness and his brother reassured him.

"Make me proud, bro. I didn't expect to fall so suddenly right there, but there's nothing I can do about it now..."

Ness hugs Lucas and kisses him on the cheek. " **Do it for us.** "

Lucas nods and waits with the rest. This is possibly his final match, but he's going to make it the best one he's ever had.


	10. The Punishment-End

**The Punishment**

Lucas went on to his final round. This one was the toughest match of his life, with him facing off against Mario himself. Lucas hasn't been around nearly as long as Mario, so this comes down to finesse and skill... and a lot of luck.

(Of course I'd have to face off against Mario. Well, here goes first place. I honestly don't care if I get knocked off; I'm just happy I made it his far.)

Lucas charged forward and hit Mario in the gut, and Mario retaliated by launching a fireball. The match lasted several minutes longer than Lucas expected it to, so the stage started collapsing on its own.

"Mario, did you rig the stages to fall after a certain amount of time?"

"Yes, but that's what adds to the excitement. It keeps everyone on their toes, and makes them have to think a lot more, which is something I enjoy."

(I can't believe Mario did this to us... He wanted to do something his way, which seems to have cost a lot of people the game. Had everything been normal, I might actually be facing someone else right now... God, I can't believe it... Mario came out of his serious state for once, and showed his true colors. I still remember the day he changed...) Lucas slips and starts falling into the void. (It just came out of nowhere, and he put all these rules up. I hated them at first, but I eventually got used to them. Ness and I still struggle with some of them from time to time, but we manage to get by... It looks like my time is up, Mario. Congrats on your fourth win, and I'll see you next year, buddy.)

* * *

Lucas disappears into the void, then reappears by Ness' side. He turns his head to see Ness and his violet eyes looking back at him, and Lucas turns red.

"Hey, you did really good out there. Claus is pretty proud of you."

Lucas looks up to see his brother right in front of him, red in the face as well.

"I-I guess I misjudged you, bro... You really _**do**_ have what it takes to be here."

"It's OK; lots of people did the same thing when I first arrived."

Ness drops his crutches and throws them over the side. They don't reappear next to him, so Claus is confused as to why Ness did that.

"I don't really need them anymore. I'm at the point where I'm walking a lot better..."

Lucas, with a smile on his face, taps his brother on the shoulder. "Hey, Claus..."

"Hm, what?"

"I remember you saying that if I won the bet, I got to punish you..."

(God, I totally forgot about that.) "Um, yeah... What are you gonna do?"

"I, uh, haven't thought about it yet... When I do have it, though, you'll be so embarrassed!"

"Yeah, sure, keep saying that."

Ness leaned in closer to Lucas' ear. "I can help you if you want."

"That would be great!"

* * *

Ness takes Lucas' hand in his, and they warp back to the mansion. They make their way back to their room and close the door quietly. They turn to each other and look into the others' eyes. Lucas sees serenity in Ness' violet eyes, and Ness sees humility in Lucas' sky blue ones. They bring themselves closer to the other and kiss. Neither of them want to separate from this moment, since they're all alone. Lucas' feelings for Ness have been growing ever since he met him and he never got many opportunities, like this one, to show him how he really felt about him.

They finally parted ways to create a plan. Lucas' cheeks were a bright red, and Ness kept giggling to himself every time he glanced at Lucas.

"Ness, I'm sorry that my face is still red. I just wish we could've stayed together longer..."

"I do too, but we have to get this thing in motion. I don't really care what we do; it can be as minor as a sign, or something to scare the socks off of him."

"Let's mess with him, since he's always doing it to me..."

Claus bursts into the room, and screams, which makes Lucas jump off the ground and nearly wet himself.

"Ha, got you again. So, where's the punishment I was promised?"

"I'm still working on it. Ness is helping out, if that's fine..."

"The bet didn't say anything about it, so he's good."

Ness waves, but turns back to the cupboard. Claus leaves the room, laughing to himself on the way out. Lucas walks to the door and slams it shut.

"Find anything hot, and I mean _**really**_ hot. He's gonna pay for scaring me..."

"I wanna get back at him too, so I'm gonna film it, and put it online."

"Don't let him see you filming though."

"I know, that's gonna be the fun part."

* * *

Lucas enters the kitchen and looks for anything that would aid in the punishment. Once he was finished looking, he began making a meal. It was an omelet, the twins' favorite dish, but he stuffed it full of peppers and hot sauce. He called Claus back in, and waited. The orange-haired boy came in and the aroma of the food made his mouth water. He was ready to dig in once he sat down, but Lucas stopped him.

"This is your punishment, Claus. You are to eat the entire thing, without drinking anything."

"Pfft, easy."

Claus cuts a piece of the omelet off, and shoves it into his mouth. Everything is fine at first, until the heat kicks in. His eyes begin watering profusely and his mouth feels like it's on fire.

"Wh-What the hell did you put in this thing?!"

"Just a few peppers and a lot of hot sauce. Eat up, bro; I bet you're hungry after all that fighting."

"I didn't do anything after I got knocked out of the tournament. God, I can barely feel my tongue."

Claus ignores the pain as he keeps putting pieces of the omelet in his mouth. One by one, they go down his throat and he's done.

"OK, you're done. Ness, go get him something."

Ness comes back with a big glass of milk, and Claus swipes it out of his hands and chugs it. It doesn't fully get rid of the heat, but it makes him feel a lot better.

"Wow, you really kicked my ass with that one. I'm ready to go home now."

Lucas runs forward to his brother and wraps his arms around him. "It was nice having you here for a week. I'll miss you though..."

Claus pats his brother on the back. "I'll tell dad you miss him."

"Th-Thank you." Lucas steps back from the hug and walks over to Ness' side. "Goodbye."

Claus exits the room, and walks to the front doors.

(Well, this is goodbye. I'll try and visit again sometime soon, but no promises.) Claus looks back and sees all the people walking around doing their everyday things. (I'm gonna miss all of you. The food was great, and the personalities were greater. Nothing great can last, sadly, and this is one of them. Dad, I'll be back in a while since the walk home takes forever. Goodbye, Smash Mansion, and keep things nice for me when, and if, I eventually do come back. Stay strong, Lucas... I'm praying for you.)

* * *

Claus goes past the doors and out onto the green. He walks to the sunset, and doesn't stop until he reaches Tazmily. Lucas yearns for the day he can go home, but he has to stay at the Mansion. He grabs Ness' hand gently and keeps it in his until their faces meet again. One last kiss for the night, then they slept. Things stayed calm under the glowing moon, and they'd never be the same after that day.


End file.
